Eating & Drinking, Chicago

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Sleek, atmospheric, and chic during the day, the Wit Rooftop Bar becomes one of the "one and be seen" places in Chicago at night, with long lines in the lobby waiting to get access to this 32nd floor aerie. Certainly it's a gorgeous space, but I'm not a fan of the big crowds (and their attitude) at night. And careful with those bar prices too. The Rooftop Bar has high prices to go along with its high views.

Still, it's great to see State Street doing well after a time in the recent past when it was definitely hurting.

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With the name "Hop Haus," I was really hoping that this would a serious beer-lovers place, a downtown equivalent (perhaps) of the Hopleaf, on Clark in Andersonville, or the Map Room in Wicker Park. But no. The draft beer selection is really not that great, and the atmosphere is suburban-generic sports-bar, acceptable for a TGIFridays, but falling far short of my expectations.

The Hop Haus makes a big fuss about its "pairings" of special burgers and beers, but I was disappointed with my "Smokehaus," which turned out to be a fairly bland fatty cheeseburger with a little chipotle sauce for flavor.

This location used to be the home of a Leona's, and it still seems very "chain"-esque. And bathroom access isn't up to par either - through several heavy doors and around the corner of a long corridor. Waitress, check please!

The Pour House is a cavernous sports bar on N. Wells in Old Town. I went there for the beer selection, which is truly impressive. They claim to have 90 beers on tap! But the place is loud and cavernous, and the huge t.v. sceens are a big turn-out to me. It's a little too reminiscent of an upscale Buffalo Wild Wings for my taste, so I probably won't be back.

Very much part of the burgeoning neighborhood of Logan Square, Whistler mixes sophisticated drinks with the feautres of an art gallery and performance space. The night we were there a D.J. was spinning a deep chill vibe that was fantastic. The mixologists here are among the most highly regarded in the entire city of Chicago.

Revolution is a great brewpub that is an anchor of the developing "scene" in the Logan Square neighborhood. It's wonderful to get out and explore the different areas of Chicago, many of which are fairly unknown to the typical visitor to Chicago but which offer restaurants, clubs and nightlife that are exciting and vibrant as any to be found downtown or in the fashionable districts close to Lake Michigan. The Revolution Brewing Company was opened a few years ago and quickly established itself as the best of the batch - that is to say, the place with the best combination of atmosphere, patron-base and superb beer craftmanship. The extensive food menu features thoughtful and tasty bar food, prepared creatively - with a full range of options for people of all tastes and appetites.

Dress Code: Casual

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Northside is a great bar for eating and drinking for any time of the day. It has a fun, lively atmosphere. This is a typical Chicago-style hangout. There are many different areas for eating and drinking or watching Chicago sports. Go Cubs! Go Bears! You can also play pool here.

Appetizers include hummus, chicken wings, goat cheese pizza, calamari, soups, chili, salad, etc. They have many different burgers and sandwiches, including tuna steak and catfish... Mmm! They also have steak, catfish and BBQ ribs entrees. And don't forget the drinks! They have a fully accomodating bar.

Dress Code: Northside is a casual bar and grill, so almost anything is acceptable here.

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My all time favorite place to hang around and lounge around due mainly to the pretty, scantically clad and well endowed Hooters girls! pun was intended so thanks to the founders of hooters, the six clearwater florida enterprenuers, Lynn Stewart, Gil DiGiannantonio, Ed Droste, Billy Raneiri, Ken Wimmer, Dennis Johnson! Cheers to you all for this successful Joint Called Hooters, YEAH!. My favorite as usual is the Long Island Iced tea cocktail at $ 8 a pop and other favorite of mine is the mai tai cocktain at again $ 8 a pop. for bar chow, they have an extensive collections and are a complete meal in itself like their nearly famous chicken wings at $ 17 for 20 pieces and the Snow Crab legs at $ 19.99 plus their huge burgers at $ 12 an order or even another favorite of mine the calamari at $ 12 an order.

Dress Code: smart casual

hours: 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Sunday-Thursday; 11 a.m.-midnight Friday-Saturday

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going to the original location of Lou Malnati's Pizza in Lincolnwood is a pilgrimage to the deep dish pizza that it is always crowded in there! good thing they also have a full service bar for the long wait to the main dining area! Lou Malnati and his Father Ron Malnati are the pioneers of the Chicago deep dish pizza and even managed rival Pizzeria Uno in the 50's. The Bar offers a large list of local drafts and seasonal and artisanal beers and quite a number of cocktails that starts from $ 6 for the beers and $ 8 for the cocktails but i would recomment not ordering bar chow even though they have a decent selection as you be eating there deep dish pizza in a while (unless you go here for just the bar and cocktails only).

Dress Code: smart casual

Hours:

Mon: 11:00AM - 11:00PM Tues: 11:00AM - 11:00PM Wed: 11:00AM - 11:00PM Thurs: 11:00AM - 11:00PM Fri:... Read More 11:00AM - 12:00AM Sat: 11:00AM - 12:00AM Sun: 11:00AM - 10:00PM

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The Kit Kat Lounge & Supper Club is a Hollywood 40s style Lounge. Located in the heart of Boystown, Chicago, be aware of what you might see here and in the area. They have a full restaurant kitchen open until midnight, including dining outdoors. At night they have live music and shows and are open until 2am. I came here for the Martinis! With over 50 types, there are so many different ones to try!

Some of the choices for martinis are: Cherry Coke, Big Apple, Mint Chip, Iced Tea, Creme Brulee, Rootbeer Float, Hopscotch (Butterscotch), Key Lime Pie, White Chocolate, Banana Split, and of course, Cosmos & Blue Hawaiis! My friends and I tried 9 different ones when we came here!

Dress Code: Anything goes!

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OK, I don't get out often at night to do the Chicago Night Scene, but I think this qualifies here since I was in Chicago from the suburbs and when we stopped here (I was really thirsty) it was after 9:00 p.m. at night and the place was hopping.

There are a number of Italian Ice places in and around Chicago, but this one seems to have the most flavors of any I've run across. As the picture (Picture #2) of the little flyer I picked up in the store shows they have a number of flavors from the usual Lemon, Lemon-Line, Orange, etc. to the more interesting Chocolate/Raspberry, Chocolate Toffee Crunch and the one I decided on Pina Colada. Several sizes are available as you can see in Photo #3.

The Italian Ice hit the spot and I was now ready for our 32 mile ride back into the suburbs where we live.

Dress Code: This tip says Dress Code, but as you may be able to read from the first photo, rollerblades are welcome so that will give you a hint at what the Dress Code is: Come as You Are!!